The present invention relates to fishing line implements and, more particularly, to fishing sinkers which are capable of being readily threaded and removed from the fishing line.
Fishing is an outdoor sport enjoyed by young and old. The basic equipment for sport fishing include a barbed hook to hook the fish and a fishing line attached to the hook to pull the hooked fish to the fisherman. Various fishing tackle components, dependent on the type of fishing being undertaken, include rods, reels, floats, sinker weights, artificial bait, and beads. Auxiliary components such as pole props and rubber band line stop segments tied onto the fishing line have also become popular with anglers.
Fishing tackle components are important to anglers for the function each component performs. For example, anglers use fishing sinkers to add weight to a fishing line and control the depth of the hook at the end of the line. Other fishing implements such as beads, which are light weight and have a hole through the longitudinal center, are also threaded to fishing lines for various purposes. Depending on the application and the fishing style, the angler will use sinkers and beads which are either in a sliding position or a fixed position. For example, for float fishing, a fishing sinker is attached to the fishing line near the fish hook. It is used to ensure that a baited fish hook drops to the depth where it is believed that fish are feeding. A bead is often used in the sliding position for slip float fishing. A line stop and the bead can prevent the float from sliding along the line beyond the line stop system. This, in effect fixes the depth of fishing, but does not limit reel-in.
A variety of fishing implements, including sinkers, are available in the market. Commercially available sinkers typically have an eyelet or hole through which the fishing line passes. Existing worm or bullet weights, with the eyelet or hole, can be used when an angler desires a sliding position for artificial lure fishing, such as is used in Texas or Carolina rig style fishing. With the sliding sinker style, the fishing line is inserted through the eyelet or hole and the sinker moves freely along the line in a sliding position. If an angler prefers a fixed position sinker, such as for float or bobber fishing, knots are tied in the line or on the line with a suitable material, to fix the position of the sinker. Unfortunately, knots are time-consuming and they kink the line. Additionally, when the angler wishes to switch to a different style or size sinker, the line must be cut and a new sinker retied.
In an effort to overcome the problems associated with tying knots in or on the fishing line, one type of existing sinker has a strip of rubber extending through the center of the sinker and outward from the top to the bottom. When the fishing line has been inserted in this sinker and positioned along the line, the extending rubber ends are twisted in a secondary step to secure and fix the position of the sinker. While this eliminates the problem of having to cut the line to change the sinker, the sinker can only be attached to the line in a fixed position. Additionally, this type of fixed sinker is very expensive.
Alternatively, some sinkers have a fishing line-receiving slot which can be closed with extending tabs to trap the line. The fishing line is inserted in the slot and the sinker is positioned along the line. A secondary step then requires that the tabs be folded over the line to hold the sinker to the line. An advantage of this style sinker is that, depending on how tight the tabs are folded, the sinker may be positioned in a sliding or a fixed position. However, the tabs have a tendency to break off, requiring frequent replacement of the sinker.
An annoying problem with all of these fishing sinkers, and with other line-threaded fishing implements, is the difficulty in positioning them on a fishing line. Whether threading the line through an eyelet or a hole, twisting strips of rubber to fix the position of the sinker, or pinching closed an open-sided slot, a degree of patience and time is needed, taking away from the time that the angler can spend actually fishing.
It is seen then that there exists a need for fishing implements which overcome the problems associated with existing implements, such as sinkers, and can be used in a sliding position or a fixed position, particularly ones which can be easily connected and disconnected from the fishing line. Such implements must be economical to produce and easy to use.